CONCERNS about a water-logged pitch sprang to mind during a fraught journey south in unrelenting torrential rain.

But as the skies cleared above Loftus Road where the pitch appeared surprisingly unaffected - it seemed almost inconceivable that kick-off could be delayed due to Coventry City being stuck at their hotel where they had arrived late for their pre-match meal.

To make matters worse the team bus - which had been dispatched to the ground to drop off the kit - got stuck in traffic on its way back to pick up the players at their chosen hostelry which happened to be in Twickenham, of all places, where England's rugby team were hosting South Africa.

Thinking on his feet, Micky Adams gathered his flock together and headed for the nearest tube station to make a dash for the ground, aided by the local knowledge of Jay Tabb who, crucially, instructed the party to change at Hammersmith.

Unfortunately, however, the former Brentford boy told his teammates to get off a stop too soon, leaving them to begin their warmup with a brisk walk for the final mile before arriving with just 40 minutes to spare.

Bizarrely, instead of unsettling the normally pampered players, who usually enjoy a luxury door-to-door service and, for whom preparation is everything, the unexpected adventure served to have a galvanising effect.

The team quickly took to the field where they put in arguably their best winning away performance of the season.

From the first whistle City took the game to QPR whose five-game unbeaten run was undone by a stunning solo goal from Dele Adebola.

The striker had one of his rare, but extremely welcome, unstoppable afternoons which caused the home side's shaky defence all manner of problems throughout the game.

And while the bustling centre-forward was wreaking havoc at the sharp end alongside Leon McKenzie, who also posed a constant threat, Elliott Ward was in top form at the back where the Sky Blues came under the cosh towards the end of each half, having dominated possession for the most part.

"We had a bit of a weird day," said the centre-back.

"It was strange because it felt like the gaffer was our dad - he bought us all tickets for the train and we all had to follow him.

"But the boys enjoyed it and it made for a good bit of banter on the way to the game. We met up with some Coventry fans on the tube and they were really surprised to see us.

"But once we got to the ground we knew we had to get our heads on the game and we felt that after what had happened we would go out and get a result, and we did.

"We are over the moon, although I am not sure we'd like to do it every week."

Ipswich loan player Darren Currie made an impressive debut on the left flank, from where there was a marked improvement in the quality of balls into the box.

Early on in the game McKenzie was unlucky not to connect with his one of searching crosses.

The same was true City's corners and the only downside to his game was the fact that his fitness faded in the second half - understandably considering his lack of games in recent weeks.

However, the rest of the midfield had enough energy to keep Rangers on their toes while on the offensive and at bay when under pressure by covering a great deal of ground, throwing themselves into tackles and closing the ball down well. Utility man Clive Clarke was deployed in the middle - a position, incidentally, he was forced into during his Stoke days when Marcus Hall took his place at left-back. He did an excellent job alongside the consistently dogged Michael Doyle, while Colin Cameron also worked hard on the right.

The Scot should really have got City off the mark as early as the 18th minute when Adebola pulled a delightful ball back from the byline into his path - disappointingly, Cameron managed to scuff it wide from close range.

But he more than played his part in the rest of the game where he helped Richard Duffy keep close tabs on Rangers' star man, Lee Cook, who was at the centre of most of what his team had to offer.

Following Coventry's bright start, inevitably, the home side eventually got into their stride and applied a bit of pressure to the break, during which Andy Marshall was called upon to make a couple of saves - the best of which denied a low shot from Cook.

But sensing John Gregory's men were there for the taking, the Sky Blues regrouped and went for it again at the start of the second half - and that was when Adebola struck.

Receiving the ball with his back to goal, the striker turned his marker, Zesh Rehman, in a smooth move that saw him head to the left of the goal.

Then as keeper Simon Royce rushed out to narrow the angle,

Adebola unleashed a terrific shot into the middle of the net to give his side a 48th minute lead.

Gregory responded with a double substitution, sending on Kevin Gallen and Martin Rowlands, who helped spark a sustained but ineffective fight back.

While City continued to be a threat going forward as they looked for a second killer goal, Cook was enjoying far too much of the ball and putting the back four under pressure with a series of crosses.

But Adams's men held firm, helped in an extremely nervous end to the game by late substitute Kevin Kyle. He was like a third centre-back using his powerful head to clear an in-swinging corner at the death to secure a clear passage home with the points intact.